Six feared dead after small plane crashes into the Arizona mountains

[News_Editor]

Six feared dead after small plane crashes into the Arizona mountains

2011-11-24 22:08:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

PHOENIX, ARIZONA (BNO NEWS) -- A small plane carrying six people crashed into the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix on early Wednesday evening, officials said on Thursday. There are no signs of survivors.

The accident happened at around 6.30 p.m. local time when a two-engine Rockwell AC69 aircraft, which was registered to Ponderosa Aviation in Stafford, Arizona, crashed into the Superstition Mountains, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Phoenix.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said the aircraft was carrying three adults and three children, although their identities and exact ages were not immediately released. The aircraft had taken off from Stafford in southeastern Arizona and flew to Mesa's Falcon Field to pick up the three children for the Thanksgiving holiday.

On its way back to Stafford, the plane crashed near the mountains' Flat Iron area, which is close to the Lost Dutchman State Park. A security camera which was set up several miles (kilometers) from the mountains caught the crash on tape, showing a huge explosion before a fire broke out.

Sheriff's spokesman Elias Johnson confirmed the death of one child whose body was recovered near the crash site on late Wednesday evening. The five other people on board, including the pilot and a mechanic, are also believed to have been killed.

Helicopters carrying emergency workers were deployed to carry out the search and rescue operation, but the rugged terrain of the Superstitious Mountains makes it difficult to access the crash site.

Although Babeu said he was hoping to find survivors, the sheriff said the scene does not look promising. All of the children are believed to be between 5 and 9 years old. Johnson later said emergency teams were moving into a discovery phase.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the accident.

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